“After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. “(Matthew 28:1)
Jesus was gone…it was over. That’s probably what Jesus’ disciples and loved ones thought. Even though Jesus spoke of his resurrection prior to his death, what they saw with their own eyes, told them it was over. The world did not stop upon his death. There continued to be new days. Life would go on.

At dawn on the first day of the week after Jesus’ death, two women journeyed to the tomb where they placed the body of Jesus. It was the first day of the rest of their lives, and things were looking and feeling very grim to them. The pain and emptiness that they felt inside was overwhelming. Maybe they were secretly hoping that when they got to the tomb they would find that all that had happened was just a terrible nightmare. Maybe they cursed the dawn of a new day and wished that they could go back in time to a happier day. But that was not to happen and thank goodness it didn’t.

Things did get better for them. When they got to the tomb, they found it empty and they saw Jesus alive. Thank goodness that a new day had arrived. With it came new life and uncontainable joy. The agony and grief that darkened their lives was gone.
Thank goodness for our new days too.

Our lives may get caught in the mire and muck of life, leaving us feeling like Job. When we are hurting or empty, we may curse the dawn of a new day. We may be tired of the repetition of life and fear the unknowns that await us. But wait! The good news is that life does not need to be this way. Just as the women discovered, we too can find hope and joy for our lives. All we need to do is look for Jesus…who is alive! Remember his painful journey and the glorious new day that came for him. It is because of him and what he did that we can have the same newness of life. Look for Jesus and he will show you the way.

Bring on the new day. With our eyes focused on the living Jesus we can face what- ever the new day brings. Hallelujah! Jesus lives!

Have a Blessed Easter, Pastor Twyla

Jesus said to Satan, “Away from me, Satan!” (Matthew 4: 10a)

We find ourselves in the season of Lent. It’s a time of self-examination and repentance. We think of ourselves walking with Jesus towards Jerusalem where he will suffer and die…paying the ultimate price for our sin. While we know as Christians that confession and   repentance of our sin should not be just a once-a-year practice, we recognize the opportunity more clearly during lent.

We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. There are many reasons why we sin. Sometimes we do it without thinking about it, and other times…well, we know what we are about to do is not pleasing to God and may cause problems…but we do it anyhow. The old saying, “The devil made me do it” can be our default excuse for our sin. We find ourselves at the booth of temptation…sometimes mesmerized by what is available there. It can look so good…so right, and Satan will gladly let us have it…saying it is free…but in reality, we sell our souls for the purchase of sin. We separate ourselves from God and the glorious gifts and promises he has for us when we cave-in to temptation.

We read temptation stories in the Bible. Adam and Eve gave into the serpent’s temptation. David gave into the temptation of lust; and there were others. Even Jesus, before his ministry began, found himself in the desert for 40 days and nights, where he was tempted by Satan.

Temptation can be understood as…and should be understood as…in most cases of New Testament scripture as testing. To test, according to the dictionary, means “to take measures to check quality, performance, or reliability of something or someone, especially before putting it into widespread use or practice.”

Did you ever think about the fact that the only way we even know about this experience is because Jesus had to tell the story to someone…most likely his trusted disciples. Remember, he was in the wilderness alone. He makes himself vulnerable later, then, by  laying open his heart and inmost thoughts to tell this story. He tells us what he…God’s own Son…went through. In telling his story, he commiserates with us and says he can help us through similar experiences. He gives us an example that encourages us so we too can turn away from giving into evil.

We learn that Jesus will not use whatever powers he possesses to satisfy his own needs; he instead relies on God to nurture and support him. Jesus wasn’t willing to compromise his relationship with God and God’s purposes for the enjoyment of using his power for his own glory. He chose obedience to God’s plan. We learn then from Jesus’ commitment to these ends that he is God’s Son who can be trusted. He faced challenges that invited him to embrace an easier path, to buy into a worldview that idolizes power and guarantees official recognition. The story ends on a positive note. Jesus rejects Satan. He tells him to get lost…he has no power over Jesus.

Satan returns again and again with attempts to put us to the test…in hopes we will fail, so that evil can gain power over us. But the secret in keeping the tempter at bay is out: it is in being faithful to one’s calling to be God’s child…clinging steadfastly to that divine calling. We simply need to say “No” when evil comes knocking at our heart and mind’s door. Thank goodness we have Jesus’ help to do this.

Blessings and Peace, Pastor Twyla

“Do not worry about your life…” (Matthew 6:25)

These are words of encouragement from Jesus. It is only one line of a text found in Matthew 6:25-34 that discusses worry. Jesus tells us not to worry, and we receive it as encouragement…or maybe a suggestion. Yet read the words again, and you will hear that it is not offered as encouragement or a suggestion. The words, “Do not…”, rather indicate a command.

In Philippians 4:6, Paul reiterates this command saying, “Be anxious for nothing.” Interestingly, We are commanded to stop doing something we don’t like doing in the first place; but how many of us respond to this command, myself included at times, saying, “that’s easier said than done.” Worry and anxiety rob us of sleep and healthy appetites. It redirects our positive attitudes towards negativity and mistrust; and often influences our productivity and our responsiveness in what we do and what we say.

There are a number of ways that we invite worry into our lives, maybe without even realizing it. Social media can be one thing that feeds our worry, and yet it is where many people turn for entertainment when they are bored or when they are seeking the latest information about something that concerns them. Where or to what do you turn to when your anxiety is high? In verse 33, following shortly after the command not to worry, we read that Jesus tells us where to turn when our anxiety gets out of control: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Author Chris Tiegreen wrote, “Consider what our worry says of our opinion of God. When we stress and strain over a situation, are we affirming God’s providence and abundance? Are we embracing God’s grace? No, our anxiety reveals our mistrust of God’s sovereignty; it is an emotional slander of His character. We may justify our worry by observing all tragedies in the world around us, knowing that such may befall us as well. Yet God promises His sovereignty even over these, as well as His presence with us in the midst of them.”

Worrying will not fix the things that cause our worry. If we instead take the energy that we put into worrying and use it for focusing and trusting God and for following His kingdom ways, things will get turned around. It begins with each and every Christian who surrenders their worry to God and places their trust in God’s sovereignty. May we all stop putting our lives in the hands of our worry; and instead, put our lives in the hands of God. Amen.